Thoughts on Cedar wood and building with it!

[SEB]

Well I sold my GTP to fund my 24Wx60Lx15H RV port! My material in wood cost is $5600 just to build the frame using 8x8 Cedar posts! The company I'm talking with said they would let me pay $2500 cash towards the material costs and Trade for labor to drain their Fence kits at my house since I'm 3 miles away and pay the rest out in labor at #600 a kit. Also $350 on the pergola kits. My concern is I was looking at the 8x8 posts and the Cedar is wet when its cut. Well it cracks in the middle down the entire length of the posts. These posts will be supporting 800 lb trusses that span 24ft and made from 4x12 Cedar 24ft long board's! All this will be lag booted through 1/4 inch steel plates on each side of the posts and 4x12 trusses! How long does Cedar last? Is it strong wood even with the stress cracks in the Cedar?

[MutherjuggZ]

Cedar wood has remarkable dimensional stability. This means the wood doesn't change its size or dimension despite weather, humidity or temperature conditions. Many types of wood will warp when subjected to moisture, but cedar stays straight and flat which makes it perfect for house siding. Many clear cedar wood products can be stained and painted and not lose their beautiful grained appearance. Cedar siding too if painted expertly under the correct conditions, will retain the grain texture with a color that pleases the homeowner.

Cedar is a light, porous type of wood. This gives it a high insulating value perfect for use as a home siding product. The porous wood also allows it to absorb noise. This can be beneficial when used as fencing or siding. These are two more reasons why cedar siding is in such high demand. It is also an elegant and prestigious type of house finishing product that lasts a long time. Cedar stands up to moisture, resisting rot and resisting insect damage better than other woods.

Cedar is used in many building products including; siding, decking, fencing, shingles, gazebos, sheds, doors, windows, blinds, shutters, and garden planters. As a decking lumber, cedar compares favorably to pine and spruce, yet still cannot achieve the durability and maintenance free ease that composite decking offers. Cedar products can be left with out a finish or paint applied, however it will need periodic maintenance. In some cases, homeowners want their cedar building products to be stained or painted in order to match their home's decor.

Cedar is also used in house trim and moulding. Again, it can be used, as it is natural with a stained finish or may be specially primed and painted.


Looks like it's great for a lot of things but I can't find any mention of it being a good material to use as a primary support for a structure.

[ELVIS]

my cedar fence cost me $5k, it better be good.

god bless.

[SEB]

After alot of research. Cedar is not good wood to support load bearing structures, It is great as a decorative wood or for things such as fence or porchs

[Txstang1]

Subscribing. I'm considering cedar for the deck we are going to build and also use it as decorative for the existing 4x4 posts on th back porch and as trim around the windows.

[SEB]

Subscribing. I'm considering cedar for the deck we are going to build and also use it as decorative for the existing 4x4 posts on th back porch and as trim around the windows.

Let me know when you do. I have some good contacts on Cedar! Its beautiful wood. Just not great for what I am building

[Grimpala]

Are you building a cover for your trailer(for a lack of a less redneck word)?

Have you looked into steel? Something like you're talking about could be fabbed from a couple of columns and a bunch of perlins pretty easy, skin the roof and move along. You and some buddies could do it in a couple of weekends.

[Taylor]

Steel, and box the steel in cedar for looks.

[Broncojohnny]

From my experience with cedar fences I can say if you have cedar that goes into the ground make sure it is pressure treated. Once it soaks up water, termites love cedar.

[juiceweezl]

From my experience with cedar fences I can say if you have cedar that goes into the ground make sure it is pressure treated. Once it soaks up water, termites love cedar.

That was most likely pine. Cedar is naturally resistant to rot, decay, and bugs. I don't think I've ever seen PTW Cedar. I work closely with one of the Southeast's largest wood treaters too.

[Txstang1]

Let me know when you do. I have some good contacts on Cedar! Its beautiful wood. Just not great for what I am building

Will do for sure , thanks.

[Broncojohnny]

That was most likely pine. Cedar is naturally resistant to rot, decay, and bugs. I don't think I've ever seen PTW Cedar. I work closely with one of the Southeast's largest wood treaters too.

The posts are pine and they are pressure treated. The termites love my wet cedar fence pickets though, they ate the shit out of the bottom of about every one of them. They pretty much did the same to a lot of the houses in my neighborhood.

I just wouldn't put wood in the ground around here without it being pressure treated, especially not wood that holds up something important. That was my point. There might be a good way to avoid that concern, I'm certainly no expert on wood by any means.

[juiceweezl]

Subscribing. I'm considering cedar for the deck we are going to build and also use it as decorative for the existing 4x4 posts on th back porch and as trim around the windows.

You'll be fine using cedar posts for a deck and trim. You just don't want to go with giant posts (larger than 6x6) or it gets hard (and pricey) to find good timbers. Cedar and redwood are used all the time in the midwest for decks, especially on houses with walk out basements.

For those of you trying to compare wood species, you can look at their specific gravity. In the wood industry, Doug-Fir is the most common timber in the western US for design and construction. All those large, solid-sawn beams (like an 8x18) that you see out west are Doug-Fir. It has a specific gravity of 0.53. In the midwest and southeast, it's much harder and expensive to get Doug-Fir. We have lots of Southern Yellow Pine (SYP). SYP has a specific gravity of 0.55 meaning it's a stronger wood as far as connections go. There are other variables such as M.O.E., bending,etc., but as a rule SYP is slightly stronger than Doug-Fir. The problem is that SYP timber doesn't often yield large beams or posts. It's pretty uncommon to find posts here much larger than an 8x8 out of pine. 6x6 is typically as large as anyone stocks. Wood treaters are now making laminate posts that are hollow columns but much larger dimensions total.

The other wood you see here is Spruce-Pine-Fir or SPF. It's the whitewood used for a lot of framing (studs primarily) and fences. It is less expensive but also weaker. It has a specific gravity of around 0.45. All fasteners (nails, bolts, screws) have a lower capacity when attaching to SPF than to Doug-Fir or SYP.

By comparison, Cedar has a specific gravity of approximately 0.38. As you can see, it's much weaker than the primary lumber species used for construction. That doesn't mean it can't be used. It just means you have to take more design considerations into account like closer spacing of supports between long beam spans.

[juiceweezl]

The posts are pine and they are pressure treated. The termites love my wet cedar fence pickets though, they ate the shit out of the bottom of about every one of them. They pretty much did the same to a lot of the houses in my neighborhood.

I just wouldn't put wood in the ground around here without it being pressure treated, especially not wood that holds up something important. That was my point. There might be a good way to avoid that concern, I'm certainly no expert on wood by any means.

No wood is completely safe in the ground anywhere. That's why you'll see certain pressure treated woods with a higher retention level than others as they're rated for ground contact. Those are the only types of wood that should be buried in the ground. Cedar will hold up better than other non-treated woods against the ground, but it is by no means a "lifetime" fix. You are correct in that wood like fence pickets should be slightly elevated though. That will prolong the life of the fence.

[Baron Von Crowder]

Steel, and box the steel in cedar for looks.

this